New Neighbor

Joanna peaked from between her blinds, the friction of tires against the broken pavement having woken her up from a long sleep. Rubbing hard at the crick in her neck as the truck turned into the driveway next to hers. She looked at her alarm clock. It was early in the morning, just before sunrise.  New neighbors was exactly the kind of thing that brought a little life to an otherwise dead neighborhood. Dragging herself back to bed, she pulled the covers over her head. She needed more sleep if she was going to host a dinner party the next night. 


While she slept, her new neighbors moved their belongings into the house. Their laughs and grunts entered her dreams making her feel almost joyful. She opened her eyes when the sung hung high in the air. Having been more of a night person for the last several years, she didn't welcome the brightness of it. She kept her blinds closed as she hurriedly made preparations for the following evening.


Invitations were scrawled and sent to her family. Her daughter, her son, her husband who opted to travel, they would all come, she had no doubt. She cleared off the table, set out the cutlery and glasses. She chose clothes for the occasion having decided on a formal affair when she wrote the invitation. Everything was set, she would wait for her family to arrive.


The next day, near the dinner hour, they gathered together. The son, the daughter, the father, and Joanna dressed in her best. Slowly they walked to the neighbor's house. They stood on the stoop, excited to bring the neighbors back for dinner. Joanna rung the bell. Running could be heard inside. Steps moving down the stairs and toward them. A joyous sound for the Zombie family, but not nearly as pleasant as the screams and silence that followed after dinner.


*** Daily Writing Practice: A much better attempt. ***